I send a semi-daily email delivering insights into leadership in exponential times. For entrepreneurs, corporate irritants and change makers. Raw, unfiltered and opinionated. It is called The Heretic and here is the dispatch from 2013-03-02:

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SEVEN YEARS

It takes on average seven years for a VC firm to exit their fund. Seven years feels freakishly long?! Well — there is a reverse logic to this as well: It means that if you’re starting a company you’re better in it for the long haul — as it will take you on average those same seven years until you get to an exit.

What did you do seven years ago? And what have you done during the last seven years?

During the last seven years ago I co-founded FoundersLink, an early stage VC firm. I moved to London to represent FoundersLink there, scout for talent and establish our network with the London-based VC community. I started consulting for Mozilla. I joined Mozilla to head up Mozilla Labs and moved to the US. I created Mozilla’s incubator program WebFWD. I became Mozilla’s Chief of Staff. I created a bunch of projects and launched a non-profit. I traveled the world.

Seven years is long. How old will you be in seven years?

Realize that you will be in this startup thing for a long, long time. Some of us are not cut out for this. For others is a relieve — it puts your actions into perspective. You have time. It’s as much about initiative and action as it is about tenacity and endurance.

Building a company is not a sprint. It’s a marathon. And sometimes you find yourself in an ultra-distance event. Enjoy the ride. You have time.